Living the simple life in Princeton has offered us rewards that I would like to share with all who care to stop in and see. From natures outdoor beauty to indoor cooking and everything in between. Welcome to my very special world in rural Wisconsin.

Full January 1, 2018 Super Moon

A View From Our Deck

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Blog Updates Part 2

Sometimes after I blog about something, I find something better or I want to tell the rest of the story. Today is part 2 of the updates.

I liked the Beet Pickles I made but apparently they didn't measure up to my mom's recipe. Dad told me they needed more Zing or Zip! I thought if they sat for a while it could happen, but it didn't. I found out that my sister had my mom's recipe. I drained the juice off the beets, I made half the new recipe which has pickling spices in it, and then I added it back into the drained juice. I let the new juice cool and sit for a while. Then I poured it over the beets. I don't remember the spices being loose in the jar so I strained them out. Dad still thinks they need more pizzazz. I'm hoping that when they sit a little more, the flavor will come through. I'm not trying again though. Someone suggested COSTCO and that's what I will do.

Revised Beet Pickle recipe

1 cup water

3 cups sugar

2 Tablespoons Mixed Pickling Spices

3 cups vinegar

2 Tablespoons salt

3 Quarts beets.

Cook the first five ingredients for 5 minutes. Add cooked beets sliced or whole. Cook a few minutes and put in jars. May be canned or leave unsealed in the refrigerator.

This isn't the exact cake, it looks the same except it has poppyseeds in it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the poppy seeds and pour batter into a bundt pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan for an hour or so and then invert onto a plate. You can dust it with powdered sugar or glaze.

This is a remedy for static cling that really works. I'm just mentioning it because as you use the same ball of aluminum foil, it gets more compressed and gets much smaller. This is same ball I originally showed but smaller. I imagine eventually it won't eliminate the static, and I will start a new one.

After I wrote this blog last week, I re-evaluated what was happening. I realized that I had gotten away from the principles I learned from the FlyLady. If you don't know about her, go to her website....flylady.net She claims that if you keep your sink clean and you get dressed including shoes everyday, life will be so much easier. I have made an effort to shine my sink, and it has helped. I also made new dishcloths and changed out my summer dishes with my fall colored dishes.

I got three dishcloths out of two balls of cotton yarn. One I just crocheted a basic square, one I just chained 30 stitches and double crocheted back and forth and the knitted one is from this pattern.

Knitted Dishcloth

Size 7 needles

Sugar and Cream yarn

Cast on 4 stitches

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: K2, yarn over and knit to the end

Repeat Row 2 until 44 stitches are on the needle.

Start decrease row: K 1, k 2 together , yarn over (YO), k 2 together and knit to end of row.

Repeat this decrease row until 4 stitches remain.

Bind off.

Last summer while we were on vacation my Boston Fern burned up. It was a terribly hot summer, so while we were gone I immersed the pot in water hoping it would survive. When I got home it was nearly dead. I cut it down to the dirt and began watering it regularly and keeping it moist. It has totally recovered and is lush and beautiful. So if you have a fern that is ready for the trash, just cut it down and start over.

I'm sure there are some followups that I have missed, but I can't think of them at the moment. I hope these help.